Breaktime Extended 7 Day 55 Quart Cooler Review
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Pinnacle 20 Product Ratings
Displaying one - 5 of 20
Best Overall
Yeti Tundra 65
Top-notch insulation
Very durable
Simple to use
Expensive
No plug ternion
Smaller than expected
Yeti is ane of the virtually recognized names in the game for a good reason. The Tundra 65 boasts the well-nigh impressive all-effectually operation out of any model we tested. Through numerous rounds of our intensive insulation testing, the Tundra 65 continues to outlive the rest in keeping its contents at rubber temperatures for consumption and refreshing temperatures for drinking. It's a straightforward, rotomolded blueprint that just works. The Tundra 65, one of many chests we tested with a bear-resistance certification from the Interagency Grizzly Comport Committee (IGBC), has sturdy latches that are easy to use and durable. It also comes with a removable dry basket inside the top to keep sensitive items out of melty ice water and can be outfitted with loads more accessories for all kinds of activities. The Tundra 65 is a reasonable weight for its size, and its low contour makes the last beverage easy to find. It's also narrow plenty for a unmarried person to load into a truck. Even after regular use over several years, the Tundra 65 performs just equally well every bit the day nosotros bought it. Yeti also continues to diversify the colors and personalization options available for this cooler, providing more choices to friction match your style better.
We are a bit disappointed to have measured this large model with "65" in the proper name at only 56 quarts, but our testers ended up appreciating this surprisingly useful size more than the models that are actually 65 quarts. The Tundra line also includes a plethora of other sizes, many of which we've tested — from small, personal boxes to behemoths. Like many of its competitors, the Tundra 65 has a tiny lip on the inside the bottom of the drain, making it challenging to 100% empty without flipping the whole thing upside-down. Nonetheless, we retrieve the Tundra 65 is a super handy option for just about any activity you would drive your auto to.
Read review: Yeti Tundra 65
Nosotros think the Tundra is a bang-up libation for only virtually every vehicle-access adventure.
Credit: Andrew Schurr
Best Bang for Your Buck
RTIC 65
Functioning per dollar
User-friendly
Great insulation
Two drains
Heaviest empty weight of non-wheeled coolers
No dry bin included
High-cease coolers are not cheap. Luckily, the RTIC 65 competes neck and neck with the best coolers out there while costing significantly less than its premium competition. With this model, yous get the construction elements and features of top coolers, such equally a rotomolded pattern, robust hinges, comfortable grips for carrying, and two drainage spouts. The not-slip rubber feet on the bottom help it stay in place during transport, and the stretchy rubber latches for the lid are non as stiff and hard to maneuver as the competition. This libation is non IGBC certified, but afterward months of testing, our team agrees that this model is built to last. And in our insulation exam, this cooler lasted an unabridged six days before the internal temperature rose in a higher place 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Impressive. All in all, this libation completely feels premium without the sticker shock.
There aren't whatsoever major complaints to lodge against the RTIC 65, but 1 would exist that information technology'southward the heaviest of all not-wheeled coolers we tested. This is offset by information technology having the greatest storage infinite (67 quarts, measured by united states) of all non-wheeled models tested, so at least the extra weight gets y'all more internal room. Still, this large and heavy model is not the easiest to transport. We wish there were leashes for the bleed plugs, and in that location isn't a dry out bin included (sold separately at a low price). These quips are minor. If you're looking for a libation that feels high-cease without the accompanying high-terminate cost tag, this model delivers.
Read review: RTIC 65
Take a load off your mind -- and maybe your wallet -- with the RTIC.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Best on a Tight Budget
Coleman Xtreme five-Twenty-four hour period 70qt
Good insulation for the price
Lightweight
Inexpensive
Big capacity for its size
Not sealed
Not overly durable
Uncomfortable handles
We are quite impressed with the insulation operation of this rather inexpensive product. Up against models that are 3 or iv times its price, the Coleman Xtreme 70 holds its own. Though it can't friction match the premium models' rotomolded insulation prowess and rugged immovability, the Coleman clearly shows its worth and value, considering the massive clamper of change you'll save. Information technology's also much lighter than the majority of the residue of the contest, fifty-fifty lighter even than several of the personal-sized models nosotros tested. And to top it off, it has a deceptively large internal volume for a comparatively pocket-sized overall size. With a simple pull-open lid and no latches to slow you downwards, the Coleman is one of the most natural-feeling chests to use — like opening your fridge at home. It's a simple design that does what information technology'due south meant to do.
That said, if ruggedness is something you demand, the Coleman may non be the best choice. Its handles, hinges, and latches don't inspire confidence in their power to last the years in the same way equally the loftier-end, IGBC certified, and rotomolded models do. Every time we've used it over the past several years, it seems to pick upwardly numerous extra scratches and dirt, though it still works the same. We too aren't in love with the comfort of its narrow, plastic handles in the shadow of some of the broader, more cushioned options utilized by its competitors. While we appreciate the simplicity of the pop-open drain, its minor size can't offer the aforementioned rapid flow rate as the much wider drains found in the competition. It also lacks a safety gasket effectually the height or chapeau. Nonetheless, yous could purchase 3 or 4 of these coolers for the same toll as some of the competition, and information technology works to proceed your goods cold for days.
Read review: Coleman Xtreme five-Twenty-four hours
The Coleman has four beverage holders molded into its chapeau and makes an inexpensive companion on your next camping ground weekend.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
All-time Wheeled Option
RovR RollR 60
Bulky wheels with pumpable safe tires
Durable
Easy to pull
Useful included accessories
Bike attachment (sold separately) is seriously awesome
Not the best insulation
A tad heavy
Expensive
When it comes to rolling coolers, the Rovr RollR 60 is easily our favorite. It's the only model nosotros tested that has actual pneumatic tires instead of cylindrical plastic chunks labeled as wheels. You can pump them upwardly just like your motorcar or cycle tires, giving you the freedom to run over the same types of terrain. While other models often take tiny wheels, rigid wheels, low clearance, or narrow, uncomfortable handles, the Rovr is what a wheeled chest should be. It has a broad handle featuring comfortable and functional safety grips on either terminate, making it a cakewalk to stroll down the sidewalk, through the grass, and beyond the beach with this box in tow. The Rovr also boasts solid, durable structure, hefty latches, and integrated hinges to help information technology last through countless picnics and get-togethers. If that's not enough, information technology as well comes standard with some of the most useful features we've seen (no actress purchase required), including a large, removable dry bin and a giant dry storage box that attaches to the lid and literally doubles the amount of stuff yous can booty. You lot can put everything you need for the charcoal-broil in and on this libation and bike information technology to the park with 1 hand. Feeling fancy? You tin can likewise option upwardly the handy bike attachment and tow the Rovr behind your bicycle. It costs extra, but we bought information technology, tried it, and at present we can't imagine life without it.
The nearly crucial aspect of any wheeled model is how easily it gets you there, which the Rovr does spectacularly. That said, information technology lags a piffling in the insulation department compared to some intense rivals, which is likely due to the imperfect seal between the top of the body and hat. It is of import to think that you're probably not interested in taking a wheeled chest on a ten-day rafting trip or a iii-week route trip, but rather to the picnic down the road or a tailgating party. We recollect the latches are a bit stiff to manipulate only can become easy to learn with some practice. Afterwards using it for years now, this rolling icebox is like cypher we've ever experienced earlier and is the only i that our friends asking to cart around.
Read review: Rovr RollR 60
Soft sand? No problem with the Rovr RollR.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
All-time Mid-Sized Model
Orca forty
Superb rubber seal
Very user-friendly size
Big, outside pocket
Durable construction
Slightly potent latches
No included dry bin
Though information technology's tempting to assume all sizes of a particular model are the same, nosotros put that to the test. When it comes to mid-sized coolers, our favorite of the agglomeration is the Orca 40. True to its name, this thin-profile ice chest has a full 40 quarts of internal storage. Additionally, you get bonus storage on the exterior of the ice chest with this line's external, velcro-sealed mesh pocket stretching across the entire dorsum of the box. While most of the Orca 40'southward competitors include some sort of rubber seal around the hat, this is 1 of the very few that actually creates an airtight seal, with a thick tube that squishes flat when airtight, filling in gaps, and a cleverly welded-shut seam (rather than the taped-over gap we see in so many others). We're also thoroughly impressed with the overall design and structure of this super-durable box, which not only is certified bear-resistant by the IGBC merely demonstrates obvious attention to particular, with sturdy, conviction-inspiring features and polish finishing touches.
Though it was just a few hours shy from being the meridian mid-sized insulation performer, the Orca xl was surpassed slightly past the Yeti Tundra 45, a libation that'due south actually five quarts smaller. Withal, the Orca 40 achieved 3.5 days at food-safe temperatures of sub 40ºF in our hot room — enough of time for a weekend of camping and most needs. Despite its taller profile, information technology can't quite fit an upright, standard-sized canteen of wine or 2L of soda, though it comes adequately close, at 11.25 inches of internal height. The thick, stiff latches of this Orca provide boosted security, as well as require a trivial actress muscling to maneuver them in and out of place. While more and more competitors now automatically include an internal dry out basket, Orca continues to offer it equally an actress accessory, subbing in the external mesh pocket instead. Despite these few minor gripes, we love the all-around size, feel, and performance of the Orca forty as the best mid-sized option on the market today.
Read review: Orca 40
The narrow profile and mid-sized, twoscore quart volume of the Orca 40 help it be a reasonably easy chest to carry to a beach rendezvous.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
All-time Personal Model
Yeti Roadie 24
Measured capacity: 24 quarts | Days Below 40˚F: 2.vi
Rugged construction
Super easy to use latches
Good insulation for a minor model
Multiple handles for carrying
Top handle tin can go far the mode of opening
Not completely airtight
No drainage spout
Sometimes you don't need that much space, simply you do need excellent performance. That'south where the Yeti Roadie 24 comes into play. Just as we've come up to wait from Yeti products over the years, the ruggedness of the Roadie model doesn't disappoint. A beefy, integrated swivel in the sturdy rotomolded exterior protects contents from the trials of all your outdoor adventures. It'southward built to exist a seat when you finally achieve your destination (Yeti even sells a seat cushion to get with it, though nosotros oasis't tested it yet). This latest version of the Roadie includes numerous upgrades we love, including redesigned latches that let you easily open the lid one-handed and a flexible, webbing elevation handle. The Roadie 24 is just over 13 inches alpine inside, which allows standard vino and 2L bottles to stand upright. The Roadie likewise outlasted all other personal-sized models in our insulation testing. Merely equally its name suggests, this little box has proved itself to exist our go-to road trip companion.
It'due south our favorite personal model, but it's not perfect. The webbing top handle is a bit short. This makes it more comfortable to carry but likewise oftentimes positions the handle in a mode where information technology inhibits opening the lid. It also lacks a drainage port, and this version doesn't boast the IGBC certification of larger Yeti hard coolers. Notwithstanding, because it's so small (relatively speaking), we hardly miss those actress features. The Roadie is non closed or leakproof—a minor letdown from an otherwise impressive model due (in large role) to a sizeable gap left where the ends of the safe seal encounter, that'south simply covered by a piece of fabric tape. It'southward also near alarmingly expensive compared to others. If you don't frequently need a small ice chest, we think the Igloo BMX 25 is a amend value for your money, just if your cooler comes with you lot everywhere and needs to be the all-time and withstand the virtually, there'due south no other personal icebox nosotros'd recommend more than for the task than the rugged Yeti Roadie 24.
Read review: Yeti Roadie 24
A rubber seal helps trap cool air within the rotomolded Roadie 24 while a 13" tall interior fits most wine and 2L soda bottles upright.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Compare Products
All of our coolers underwent head-to-head tests against the same five performance metrics.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Why You Should Trust The states
This review is the abstraction of a team of testers, led by Senior Review Editor Maggie Brandenburg. Maggie has been playing and guiding in the outdoors for over 15 years, from backpacking the Tahoe Rim Trail to kayaking the Caribbean. She is an avid camper, and even lived in her teardrop trailer for several seasons. She spent eight years at Iowa State University completing two science degrees and instruction numerous college science courses, so she has a comprehensive understanding of the importance of rigorous and scientific testing processes. Maggie doesn't underestimate a great libation's value, whether it's for off-grid living, celebratory summit beers, route trips, or backyard barbecues. She ropes in friends and family to her testing to proceeds perspectives from all ages and abilities. Our testing team also includes Max Complain and Steven Tata. Max spends well-nigh springs harvesting maple syrup at a remote tree subcontract and relies on ice chests to go along that perfect amber elixir from spoiling. Steven has spent numerous months living and climbing in Yosemite National Park, where he lacks a fridge; instead, he stores all of his food in a libation, working to keep it condom from the hundreds of black bears that call the park home. Maggie, a trained scientist, put her head together with Steven, a mechanical engineer, to blueprint our detailed, intensive insulation testing process.
This review represents over 600 combined hours spent using, abusing, and meticulously testing over 35 unlike ice chests over a span of eight years — not including the time spent researching hundreds of new and promising models to find the ones worthy of inclusion. Nosotros ran and re-ran insulation tests under controlled merely harsh laboratory conditions. We dragged our test subjects through the gravel, sand, mud, and grass while road tripping, tailgating, camping ground, and hanging out on the beach. We asked our friends and family unit, who bridge iii generations, to help united states dive into these coolers (sometimes literally) and identify the pinnacle performers. From beingness dropped from waist height, thrown into vehicles, jumped on by a 200lb tester, dragged beyond hot surfaces, yanked on, jerked around, and otherwise abused, these chests accept seen it all.
Analysis and Exam Results
The market for water ice chests continues to grow over the years, resulting in some extremely shut competition and hard-fought rivalries. To assist you find the right model, nosotros tease apart operation differences betwixt contenders, implementing specific tests spanning 5 exhaustive, mutually exclusive metrics. We test the insulation performance, immovability, ease of employ, portability, and features of every unmarried model. Equally some performance aspects are more than important than others, nosotros weight each metric accordingly. Below, we discuss our exam results and which models stand out in each expanse.
Testing on hot summer days in the woods.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Value
Though our scoring system of each contender's operation does not include the cost of the unit of measurement, we recognize that this is a crucial aspect influencing the decision of which ane to purchase. This detail market includes a huge range of prices that make ane wonder if a plastic box could be worth that much money. In some cases, that extra cash does bring first-class insulation performance, greater utility, and convenience. In other cases, y'all can spend far less without a substantial drib in overall performance. It's besides helpful to consider how frequently you find yourself needing the cooling and insulating services these ice chests provide and how burly and rugged you need your gear to exist.
When it comes to high durability and above-average insulation and usability, the RTIC 65 is a fantastic example of a loftier-value particular. This lower-priced (yet over-performing) model has been accompanying our team for years of adventures now, handily getting the job done for weekends full of summer fun. If you lot don't need such a beefy box or a lengthy time frame for storing delicate food items similar raw meat, the Coleman Xtreme 70 is some other proficient choice, saving you both coin and weight. On the other hand, if you're the blazon of explorer heading off the filigree for extended periods and pushing your gear to the limits, the actress cash yous'll drop on the Yeti Tundra 65 is well worth the investment. This bear-resistant box provides top-notch insulation and superb usability that's become our team's go-to companion for longer trips.
Insulation
The most of import metric for most of us is how well an ice breast keeps nutrient common cold and fresh. This metric is also the source of a lot of really extraordinary claims from manufacturers. From models with "five-Twenty-four hours" in the proper noun to stickers boasting up to 16 days of ice retention, it seems that only almost every product out in that location will knock your socks off. That is until you read the fine impress, which typically includes a litany of stipulations such as the entire chest has to be pre-chilled (walk-in freezer, anyone?), its contents must also be pre-chilled or even frozen (no more buying drinks straight off the shelf and tossing them in the libation), you lot can only open it in one case a twenty-four hours when it'due south cool (what virtually lunch?), or you'll demand twice as much ice as nutrient (gonna demand a bigger cooler…) While all these things will of course aid extend the life of your water ice and, therefore, the freshness of your food, information technology's unlikely that yous'd actually exist able to follow all these rules every time you use information technology. So nosotros tested a more realistic usage. We bought some ice, filled each model about ⅓ full, and put a mixture of cold and room temperature cans in them. And then we simulated a midsummer trip by sealing them in a heated room for over a week while tracking and recording each unit of measurement'due south internal temperature.
There are two critical temperature thresholds nosotros made a note of; 40º F, and 50º F. 40º F is the maximum acceptable temperature recommended by the FDA to ensure food safety, every bit it minimizes the growth of pathogenic leaner. Put just, keeping refrigerated food items below 40º F greatly reduces the hazard of food spoiling and making you ill.
Results from our rigorous insulation testing.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
The 50ºF threshold we highlight represents the average maximum ideal temperature to serve beer. The American Homebrewers Association breaks downwards the optimal serving temperature range for different types of beer, which nosotros based this threshold on. Nosotros chose 50ºF in part as an boilerplate maximum platonic beer serving temperature and too to hands see the rate at which each cooler gains degrees as its ice melts within by comparing how much time there is between when each model crosses the 40º and 50º lines.
A comparison of results from our insulation testing of coolers 55 quarts and larger.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
The Orca 58 and Yeti Tundra 65 are the winners of our demanding insulation testing. Both maintained a temperature of less than 40º F for 6.5 days. While the Orca outlasted the Yeti here by just shy of xxx minutes, the Yeti so hung out beneath 50º F for an 60 minutes and a half longer than the Orca, demonstrating that it has a slower warming charge per unit. When all was said and washed, the top-scoring Tundra 65 provided a whopping 7.3 days of sub-50º F refreshments.
Impressively, the Orca is one of the top performers in our rigorous insulation testing.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Additional close contenders include the Pelican Elite Wheeled and RTIC 65, which both maintained FDA safe temperatures of less than 40º F for near half-dozen days and acceptable beer temperatures for just shy of 7 days. These are impressive scores for a lineup with an average functioning of maintaining sub-40º temperatures for just over four.2 days, and sub-50º for only over four.vii days.
Though the OtterBox Venture isn't rotomolded, its insulation functioning outstrips many coolers that are, proving that rotomolded construction isn't the only important cistron when information technology comes to insulation prowess.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
But because a cooler is rotomolded doesn't necessarily make it the best insulator. For example, the OtterBox Venture, one of several not-rotomolded chests we tested, lasted five days below that critical lower temperature threshold, a functioning that bested numerous rotomolded models. The Coleman Xtreme is another great example. Though it lasted just iv.ane days under 40º F, it came in simply 14 hours behind several burlier (and far more expensive) rotomolded models.
Mid-sized model insulation performance, comparing results of our rigorous insulation testing in units with capacities from 35 to 54 quarts.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Among mid-sized models, information technology'due south useful to bespeak out that the internal book of the Yeti Tundra 45 measures roughly 35 quarts. Don't let the "45" throw you off. We measured the Orca twoscore true to its proper noun with 40 quarts of internal book. In our insulation tests, the Tundra 45 eeked out a marginal win, lasting three.viii days under 40º F. Impressively, with an extra half-dozen quarts of internal book, the Orca 40 maintained food-safe temperatures for 3.5 days. These ii top-scoring options continued to warm at near equal rates, with the Tundra 45 topping out at 4.2 days of sub 50º F and the forty-quart Orca twoscore crossing that final threshold at three.8 days.
Comparing results from our insulation testing, showing functioning differences between small models with capacities lower than 35 quarts.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
The small, personal-sized models can't keep up with their larger brethren regarding insulation. The Yeti Roadie 24 impresses us, though, and is the all-time personal-sized model we tested. It lasted 2.8 days in keeping its contents nether 40º F and but a few minutes shy of iii full days under 50º F. Non far backside, the Igloo BMX 25 likewise scores well in this arena. Information technology managed to maintain sub-40º F temperatures for 2.6 days, besting the similarly sized Stanley Adventure thirty by several hours and leaving the Pelican 20 Elite in the dust (which had a disappointing operation of just 1.four days under 40º F).
The Yeti Roadie 24 is an impressive personal-sized model both in long-lasting insulation power and rugged construction that make information technology a nifty solo embankment day companion.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Of our test subjects with a manufacturer'due south claim for ice memory attached to them, non a single 1 lived up to it in our tests. Every bit the market continues to grow, many manufacturers take stopped including specific number-of-day claims or have started adding asterisks to those claims that require limiting conditions to exist for them to be met. Notwithstanding, while the results from our insulation testing are in many cases far below some of the manufacturer'south claims, nosotros went out of our way to push these competitors to their limits. There are many tips and tricks that can help you get fifty-fifty more from your water ice, such as pre-chilling the cooler, keeping it in the shade, and packing a 2:1 water ice to contents ratio.
The Orca 40 is a mid-sized cooler with impressive insulation and convenient features.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Durability
Knowing your investment will concluding through years and years of adventures is of import for any piece of gear y'all ain, and these products are no exception. Though we didn't have ten years to spend testing each model, we spent months subjecting them to prolonged employ and a fair corporeality of abuse to run into how they stood upwardly to the pressure. Nosotros overextended hinges, jumped on lids, yanked on latches and handles, and dropped full chests from a carrying height. We set accident-prone friends, immature children, and hefty humans loose on them to see what they're made of by pushing them in ways more typically spread across many years of utilise. We filled each model with h2o to see how well their seals worked (or if they worked at all) and left them all out in the scorching midday desert lord's day for hours on terminate to run across what would happen. Several of our top-performing contestants accept been in regular use for several years at present, and each season we update their durability and performance data, documenting how they modify over time.
Several of the models we tested have IGBC certification - what does that mean, though? A certification from the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee verifies that the product in question has been tested past said commission and meets minimum standards for design and structural standards that are considered "bear-resistant" by a team of grizzly behave experts. The IGBC specifically states that this does not mean the product in question can't be opened or destroyed by a bear, nor does it hateful the product is leakproof. With that said, fifty-fifty the minimum construction standards required to deter a hungry 10 foot long, 900 lb grizzly lend a lot of credibility to the durability of a production. Models nosotros reviewed that are IGBC certified include the Yeti Tundra 65 and Tundra 45, OtterBox Venture 65, Orca 58 and 40, Pelican Wheeled 80 and Elite 20, Engel 65, Arctic Zone Titan 55, and Rovr RollR lx. These products proved to be very durable, despite the fact our team was unable to notice a grizzly bear willing to test each of them rigorously.
The Yeti Tundra 45 is i of many models we tested begetting (pun intended) an IGBC certification.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
This bear resistance is with the assumption that you use comport-resistant locks (sold separately) to secure the lid airtight of each model. Don't expect the rubber latches alone to protect your food from bears. And depending on where you discover yourself on your adventures, it might not even be a legally accustomed way to shop your food, so be sure to always cheque local regulations for your destination before you go out home.
Nosotros likewise tested Yeti'due south bear locks on the Tundra in Yosemite National Park. This is necessary to actually make IGBC certified coolers bear-resistant. Notwithstanding, many parks still require the utilise of bear lockers, regardless of what kind of gear you're using.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Additionally, several other aspects add together to each 1's overall durability, beyond just a sturdy hinge and a set of bearproof locks. The latches and handles don't factor into an IGBC rating, as they are entirely irrelevant to bear safety only extremely relevant to any model'south longevity. Safety T-grip latches are popular equally a durable, easy-to-utilize solution for keeping your ice chest closed. The Yeti Tundra (both the 65 and 45 models) latches performed the best in our durability testing, with a combination of thickness and sturdiness mixed with the correct amount of flexibility to stay tightly in place when needed and not give away to the incessant yanking of a bored four-twelvemonth-old. Fifty-fifty after several years of use, the Tundra 65's latches are virtually the same as the first day we got it. If you adopt thicker, sturdier latches and don't mind the extra muscling they require to operate, the Orca 58 and Orca xl both have brawny rubber T-grips (in the shape of orca tails) that practically exude security and confidence.
The Orca latches are thicker than many others, securely closing your contents in their bear-resistant interiors.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
The RTIC has visually similar rubber latches that are much more than flexible. As such, they are easy to use, defective the stiff stubbornness of many other latches. Even so, more flexible safety might have a shorter lifespan than denser safety, though we haven't had an event afterward using this product for years. The Igloo IMX 70qt is similar, with exceptionally flexible, soft, piece of cake-to-use latches, also giving us intermission near how well they'll concord up through years of UV and user exposure. For the time being, though, this is just a concern and not something we witnessed during our extensive testing. TheIgloo BMX also has T-grip latches with slightly dissimilar shapes and thicknesses that both become the chore done just fine.
The Igloo BMX offers a slightly different take on the prophylactic T-grip latch that works only likewise.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
The Xspec 60qt, Engel, OtterBox Venture, and Yeti Roadie 24 are some that buck the tendency of popular T-grip closure mechanisms on high-end coolers. The Engel has part-rubber-part-metallic latches, and the Xspec mixes plastic clasps with rubber straps that ditch the brawn for a chip more finesse when securing them. Subsequently multiple years of use, nosotros've noticed the Xspec safety sections have tightened up over time. This makes them but as secure as ever simply requires slightly more force to operate. The Roadie 24 and OtterBox Venture both have plastic and rubber latches similar to the Xspec, but they're both exceptionally easy to employ, requiring less finagling and feeling much stronger overall.
The latches of the Xspec are secured with a rubber section to the lid and a plastic piece for a closure system, making them a fleck easier to use.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
When it comes to handles, models with immobile handles accept an additional reward. Many models accomplish this by having two sets of handles—1 indented in the sides of the chest for single-person lugging and a second fix of mobile handles that extend above the meridian of the chest for ii-person toting. The Engel, Tundra 65 and 45, Xspec, Titan, Orca58 and 40, RTIC, and Igloo IMX all follow this model. The thick handles jutting out from the OtterBox sides besides impressed us with their obvious strength. Overall, the contenders with the near durable combinations of design, construction, and features are the Roadie and Tundra models, with the Orca and Rovr non far behind.
Thick cream-covered rope handles and a safety gasket sealing the bleed plug help brand the RTIC one of our favorite models we tested.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
That being said, there's something a trivial scrap extra virtually a plastic box that's not but well-designed and durably built merely clearly shows attending to detail at every turn. The Orca 58 and forty both are those coolers. Where so many competitors have visible screws holding on the latches (Kenai 65) or hinges (Igloo BMX 25, Coleman Xtreme 70, and others), rope ends and knots visible (RTIC, Engel, and others), or even tiny plastic ridges leftover on edges from the manufacturing process (Yeti Tundra models), every unit we've tested from Orca appears make clean and polished. These details possibly don't matter in the long run from a immovability standpoint, but go a long way toward making your expensive libation look as impressive as its price tag and performance suggest.
The Orca models we've tested prove themselves not just to be durable, but to wait clean, polished, and put together as well.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Ease of Use
So your cooler works. And it's going to concluding a skillful long while. But is it a pain in the bum to utilise? Ease of use is a critical factor in your overall happiness with whatever given production. We tested each model's ease of employ by, well, using them. A lot. Nosotros gauged how easy each one is to open up and shut - does the hat stay open while you load it? Are the latches piece of cake to maneuver with full hands? Nosotros as well observed how easy they are to load: is it a conducive configuration for oddly-shaped items? Is information technology tall enough for 2-liter soda bottles or celebratory champagne? Does it come up with any handy features like a dry bin for items that shouldn't touch ice or soak in slushy water?
We gauged the ease of grabbing the handles without looking and noted whether they require extra steps to slide them out into identify or push them back down out of the way. Nosotros evaluated each bleed (if there was 1) to meet how thorough a job it does and how simple information technology is to utilise. And for wheeled models, of course, we considered how that pair of spinning discs affects the chest's usage when you're non actively pulling it around.
Nosotros dear the Pelican'due south easy to apply latches.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Both Pelican models we tested - the Pelican Wheeled and the Pelican twenty stand out to our testers equally having uncommonly easy-to-utilise latches. Dissimilar the rubber latches of many of their competitors that you stretch into identify, Pelican's latches are a simple push button pattern, featuring a release button in the center that 'unlocks' the lid, allowing you to elevator the latch away from the body and raise the peak. When asked by a 4-twelvemonth-old which model she thinks is the easiest to open, she picked the Pelican latches, hands downwards.
The OtterBox wins points for being one of the easiest latches to use amid models nosotros tested.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
The Xspec, Roadie 24, and OtterBox Venture are also notable for innovative and adequately effortless latch experiences. Both of these big boxes combine a safety latch for tightness and security with a plastic locking machinery that makes them a cakewalk to use and requires much less brute forcefulness than any of the 100% rubber latches demand. The Kenai 65 features more often than not rubber, stretchy latches, but swaps out the prophylactic T-grip section for curt metal posts that grip grooves underneath the rim of the body. Though they're comfortable and easy to use, they proved to be less secure when jostled or dropped, and occasionally popped open up during our testing.
The Yeti Roadie 24 is ane of a growing number of ice chests with easier to use latches that combine rigid latching components with rubbery stretching arms to secure the lid, all of which can be chop-chop maneuvered with a single mitt.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
The Stanley Adventure has plastic latches that are simple to utilise with ane hand. They crave just a minimal amount of pressure to seal your precious cargo or access its delicious contents, but the long-term durability of these plastic latches isn't confidence-inspiring. Interestingly, the Igloo Mission 50 pairs fully metal latches on a plastic-bodied libation. They're non as secure as most other latches, but they're very easy to operate.
The Igloo Mission has metallic latches on a plastic body that are like shooting fish in a barrel to use.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Equally far as drains go, several products accept dual-function drains, meaning there's a hole through the shaft of the drain plug that lets water run out without having to remove the entire drain cap. Of form, if you lot want a faster period, a total plug removal is brash, but don't misplace that cap, every bit virtually models nosotros tested don't come with a leash to proceed it fastened to the body of the box. The Tundra(s), RTIC, Engel, Arctic Titan, Orca(s), Kenai, Xspec, Stanley, and Rovr all accept this handy dual bleed hole feature.
By adding a small pigsty in i or both sides of the bleed plug, many manufacturers have increased drainage options to make cleaning upwardly afterward your trip even easier.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
The drain plug isn't the but gene that makes elimination water like shooting fish in a barrel or abrasive. Most of the contenders nosotros tested too accept a sloping aqueduct behind the drain to help gravity pull water out. Still, several have unfortunately paired this with a large lip or other obstacle that then stops your drainage progress earlier it's 100% complete. Models that we plant the easiest and nearly thorough to bleed include the Engel, Kenai, Xspec, Orca(s), Titan, and Tundra(s), which all characteristic either a tiny lip or a sloped lip to brand emptying your meltwater a breeze. The Arctic Titan has an oversized bleed to decrease the fourth dimension you spend emptying information technology. And if one bleed isn't enough for you, the RTIC features two drains, ane on either end.
Even just a small drainage aqueduct allows the opening to exist beneath the floor of the breast, making it easier to effortlessly empty it later on an outing.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Nosotros also considered the overall shape and size of each competitor as part of its usability score. Models featuring a compact, packable shape and handles that hibernate away easily are easier to pack into a vehicle for your next chance. On the flip side, those products with big handles and awkward shapes that are difficult to Tetris into the back of the minivan, along with everything else yous need for the political party in the park, don't score as well. Of course, the internal dimensions and capacity too make a big deviation in what you can bring with you lot in your icebox and how many extra bags and boxes you'll demand to bring along. And the proportion of these dimensions to one another also makes a large difference. A low and long model is easy to detect things in but harder for one person to carry. On the flip side, i that's too narrow and tall is easier to acquit merely harder to locate items that have wormed their style to the bottom. The Xspec strikes a very happy medium, narrow enough for uncomplicated solo carrying, tall enough to fit an upright bottle of wine, still shallow enough to detect whatever you're looking for hands. If you lot're interested in a smaller capacity pick, nosotros're big fans of the exceptionally useful 40-quart volume and compact shape of the Orca 40.
The Xspec's dimensions are correct in the sweet spot of being shallow enough to find the last tin of your favorite brew, tall enough to bring along a 2L of soda upright, and narrow enough to acquit by yourself, all while all the same boasting a 61 quart capacity.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
The RTIC and Rovr RollR are 2 more than of our favorites among the crowd for their ease of apply. The Rovr has a sizeable dry out bin and alpine interior with nearly vertical walls, making it much more comfortable than most models to pack it exactly how you desire information technology and keep it organized. This is a feat made even more than impressive past all the bouncing you lot'll exist doing with the enormous wheels over debris on your way to the party. It also boasts i of the tallest internal heights of any model we tested, then you can residual assured your chilled Pinot Grigio will stay that fashion all day. The RTIC offers a similarly simple interior that's spacious enough to bring a ton of food with you on your hunting trip or camping take a chance. Its dual drains make cleaning information technology a breeze, and the flexibility of this model's rubber latches means it's easier to open up and close with a unmarried hand than other safety-latched models.
The largest dry bin of any cooler we tested, the Rovr'south bin is also the only one that hand screws into place.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Portability
At first glance, the matter of portability seems obvious: wheels? Portable. Small size? Portable. Large chapters? Not so portable. And while, in full general, this is true, it's non the whole story. We not only considered these self-evident factors in our testing but also looked at them in more detail. We challenged every pair of wheels to roll not just over the smooth, paved driveway of your friend's house but also over the soft sand at the embankment, the chunky construction debris that's strewn beyond the path to the park, and the lumpy uncut grass of your Sat picnic spot. We scrutinized every handle's pattern, shape, location, and comfort while carrying a full load. And we considered not but the sheer weight of each breast, but what that weight gets you in terms of chapters - equally in how worth it are the extra pounds? We filled them up and loaded them in and out of cars, slogged across beaches, and traipsed through neighborhoods to see which ones bash confronting your knees, bite the backs of your heels, or form blisters on your palms.
Much to no 1'south surprise, personal cool-boxes like the Pelican 20, Stanley Adventure, Yeti Roadie, and Igloo BMX are much more than portable than larger models. A combination of low weight, modest size, and large carrying handles help make this possible. Simply being modest isn't the only aspect affecting portability performance. Among these smaller coolers, the Igloo BMX has a much broader, more comfortable to use, plastic top handle, and a smoother overall blueprint that makes carrying this product full of heavy glass bottles of craft beer a much more pleasant experience. It besides weighs less by a significant margin, which adds to its portability. The Roadie 24 has a flexible webbing strap that more than comfortably facilitates an over-the-forearm carry. It likewise has a pair of indented handles hiding underneath both sides of the top for two-handed carry. The Stanley, as the largest of the pocket-sized coolers, is the toughest to carry. Information technology lacks a top handle and instead has just two hard plastic handles on each side, requiring a adequately uncomfortable and uncushioned two-handed carry. The Pelican 20 is too less enjoyable to deport, with a hard plastic top handle and a tall, gangly shape with too many rigid edges that smacked our legs and ankles as nosotros walked.
The over-the-top handle of the Yeti Roadie 24 is made of flexible webbing and is far more comfortable to carry on your forearm than a rigid handle.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Wheeled coolers may appear astoundingly portable, but we found that their actual usefulness in this metric is wildly dependent on their wheel design and clearance. We've tested several rolling models over the years. The Rovr is the only i with actual rubber tires filled with air (aka pneumatic tires), the same every bit a vehicle or bicycle. While competitors may bespeak to this equally a downside (more maintenance, the potential for flats, etc.), it makes for a vastly ameliorate system of pulling. The juddering of pulling hard-wheeled models over even smooth surfaces, similar urban center sidewalks, can speedily leave blisters on your hands from the vibration of the plastic wheels (this really happened to a tester). But pulling the Rovr with its air-filled wheels lets you glide over imperfections in the footing and keeps your easily happy.
Equally as important, the Rovr's handle swings out far plenty from the breast's body to avoid painful heel smashing. And with motocross-style rubber handles located on the edges of the sides of the wide trolley handle, it'southward clear that this product is designed with the user in mind. Lastly, the bike attachment accompaniment is seriously impressive. Initially skeptical, we at present use it all the time. Zipper is easy, and the flexible, pivoting arm allows for liberty of bike movement and no loss of turning radius or steering power. We are and then genuinely impressed past this rolling icebox's portability that we hardly even find or mind its heavier initial weight.
A reasonably meaty libation, the Engel isn't terrible to behave if it'south not loaded downward, though the hard plastic hand grips aren't our favorite.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Equally for large, non-wheeled models, we notwithstanding noticed many differences that lend themselves toward making specific units more than portable than others. The Coleman Xtreme is simply a few ounces heavier than the personal-sized Igloo BMX, which is phenomenal for its 68 quart capacity. The Engel and Tundra 65 both are relatively portable as well; their combined overall shapes and mid-l-quart capacities make finding what you're looking for easier. They're big enough to bring everything you lot need without being so big that they require 2 people to elevator them out of the car. The Xspec is slightly larger only maintains the same overall dimensions ratio (shorter length, taller height - simply not too much to brand it difficult to find that last beer nether all the ice), making it reasonably easy for a single person to bear a brusque distance. Interestingly, the RTIC is the only model we tested with straight-upwards cream handles for a two-person carry. You may not bask lugging its extra weight around, but at to the lowest degree it probably won't get out big red marks on your fingers.
The RTIC has a soft foam handle to aid ease the hurting of carrying this relatively large, fully-loaded libation.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Mid-sized models offer a middle ground betwixt the many big options that can often be overkill for a uncomplicated picnic or road trip but offering more than storage infinite than the small personal chests. The Orca 40 is our favorite medium-capacity contender. It fits a total 40 quarts of contents also as whatever you can cram into the large external storage pocket covering the back of the box. Its taller, narrower shape is too more comfy for a single person to carry from the car to the beach.
Both the Orca xl (pictured) and the Orca 58 take a velcro-sealed mesh pocket on the back to help you more easily go everything y'all demand all in one trip. Over fourth dimension, we grew to appreciate these handy pockets much more than we predictable.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Features
Little things that make a product easier to use, more conducive to your lifestyle, or assist y'all not take to comport then much stuff with y'all can make a divergence in how excited you lot are to utilise it. Just not all features, add-ons, and extras are created equal, and their value may depend on how and where you intend to use your gear. In general, we gave higher scores to more universally useful features, such as a leash for the drain plug (so y'all don't lose it), internal baskets or dividers to keep your food fresh the way you desire information technology, and the ability to hold dry water ice, which extends the cooling chapters. Other features that are however useful but are more than specific to certain styles of apply received lower scores. These include things like cup holders, bottle openers, and measurement notches. Nosotros also only ranked contenders based on the features they come up with and not on all the accessories you could choose to purchase for an boosted charge. That said, many manufacturers offer some exceptionally handy add-ons that, should you choose to purchase them, tin can hands turn a product into your perfect hunting companion, tailgating buddy, or camping friend.
The OtterBox Venture, Rovr RollR, Arctic Titan, Yeti Tundra 65 and 45, and Igloo IMX all come up with applied interior dry storage options, which is great for property aside some make clean ice for drinks or keeping sensitive food out of ice h2o. The Igloo IMX wire handbasket is a tighter wire weave, making it much easier to keep small items contained than nigh other models. The Titan, Tundra 65 and 45, and both Igloos all characteristic a simple basket that sits across the top of the opening, while the OtterBox is a similar concept but is a solid plastic bin instead.
The OtterBox Venture is one of several coolers boasting a dry storage bin included with your cooler.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
The Rovr'south dry storage goes in a higher place and beyond since information technology has a large dry bin that extends to the bottom of the interior. It also attaches to the side of the interior with a simple hand screw, which ways information technology won't move during transit similar all the other baskets are wont to do. The OtterBox, the Coleman Xtreme, Pelican, and Igloo Mission l all have leashes attaching their drain plugs to the trunk of the chest. Both Pelican and larger Igloo models, the Engel, and the Xspec also all have congenital-in bottle openers hidden in various spots. Helpfully, many of the units we tested are rated to concord dry out water ice, so feel inspired to have that long midsummer canoe trip with your Xspec, Tundra, OtterBox, Engel, or RTIC ice chest.
A few models, like the Igloo Mission 50, have canteen openers permanently affixed to their outsides.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
If you're an angler, you might capeesh a model with an integrated ruler across the acme to measure your take hold of. Many of the options we tested have this feature, including the Pelican Wheeled, Arctic Titan, Xspec, Igloo IMX, and Igloo Mission 50. Even so, others have specific slots to necktie them downwardly in your gunkhole, backseat, or truck bed.
Though nosotros don't recommend delicate navigation with this compass, it does generally point n.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
The Rovr RollR does a blindside-up job of living up to its merits as existence "the well-nigh feature-packed 60-quart cooler ever." Beyond the ultra-useful internal dry out bin, this compact roller features a sixty quart external dry bin that attaches right to the top of the lid, literally doubling the number of things you lot can cart with yous. When it's time for storage, or you go to your destination, the dry bin folds downward flat and tin can easily and securely be stored on the pinnacle of the lid. We constitute these two features to be very handy in endless situations. And if you are so inclined to make additional purchases, the Rovr can exist mounted to the dorsum of your cycle like a tiny, ice-filled carriage.
Bring it all along with your handy dandy Rovr RollR.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Conclusion
Nosotros've been researching, testing, and retesting popular coolers for years to bring you the most competitive models out in that location, and this most recent round of contenders is no exception. After months of rigorous side-by-side testing and years of extended examination and utilise of top performers, conducted by our experts and a veritable oversupply of friends and family who also savour fresh food and cold drinks, we got to know these models quite literally inside and out.
Bring fresh nutrient and common cold beverages just about anywhere with the right cooler.
Credit: Jenna Ammerman
Source: https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics/camping-and-hiking/best-cooler
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